About The Novel

Raves & Praise

"Beautifully detailed and rich in exceptional characterization ... Curran's novel gently reminds readers that fantasy has a place in everyone's life, and dreams can come true. Uniquely uplifting and never didactic, this is a gem." -BOOKLIST, starred review

"With a masterful wit and clever twists, Sheila Curran has created an intricately woven mystery. Captivating, fast-paced, no-holds-barred storytelling, DIANA LIVELY IS FALLING DOWN defies pigeon-holing. Wrestling the complexities of motherhood, loss and betrayal, politics, the environment, and theme parks, it is at once intimate, domestic, and worldly. A debut to celebrate!" -Julianna Baggott, GIRLTALK, THE MISS AMERICA FAMILY, THE MADAM

"Brilliant, touching, and funny as hell, Diana Lively packs a powerful punch. A poignant and biting satire of contemporary family life, American business, ivory-tower academics, and trans-Atlantic cultural differences, this spirited romp through an Englishwoman's Arizona deserves a unique place of honor on any bookshelf. Diana is one of those stories that can linger forever in one's own memory and imagination, as a reference point for every new book that comes along, or even more, for life itself. Wry, engaging, and wise beyond words, Diana is bound to delight and amaze." -Carlos Eire, 2003 National Book Award winner, WAITING FOR SNOW IN HAVANA

"DIANA LIVELY IS FALLING DOWN is a terrific pick-me-up. You couldn't find two more disparate landscapes than Oxford, England and Arizona, and that's exactly what one British woman discovers when she crosses the pond to find herself a fish-out-of-water -- only to realize that for the first time in her life, this means she can stand on her own two feet. Filled with characters who make you laugh out loud even as they break your heart, this is a funny, warm, inventive, original book."
-Jodi Picoult, NYT bestselling author of VANISHING ACTS and MY SISTER'S KEEPER

Traffic

Epiphany # 402 Any job worth doing is not necessarily worth doing well. Exhibit A: housekeeping is our generation's answer to the Myth of Sysiphus. You roll the rock up the hill, and just before you get it there, you're bowled over by the new onslaught of crap that comes in the back door: shoes, socks, backpacks, the contents of favor bags and more junk mail than you can shake a broomstick at. Despite the futility of cleaning, there is an inner German that wants to have gone through the ritual purification at least once a week.

My newest realization is that if you just pass the vaccuum extremely quickly and somewhat symbolically over the kitchen floor (almost the way the priests in mass swing the Myrrh container back and forth at the congregants as they sway up the aisle) you can still tell yourself you cleaned the floors. Besides, as soon as you unpack the groceries or open the door for the dog, the floor will be re-gritted with tiny mud clumps or onion skins. So what the hay? Do a really half-baked job in the first place. Better to have tried and sucked very badly than never to have sucked at all.